QMJHL Report: Rouyn-Noranda Huskies

As expected, the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies are near the bottom of the QMJHL standings. After making a run at the Presidents trophy last season, the team was left with a lot of young players who are asked to take on big roles. Mckeen's Hockey correspondent Rick Springhetti looks at many young Huskies eligible for the 2011 NHL Entry Draft.

Sean Girard (2011), D, Rouyn-Noranda

Average straight-ahead skater .. moves well laterally .. not a great backwards skater .. used in all situations and seeing a ton of minutes .. not a very aggressive defender but will use positioning and smarts to defend .. doesn't quit even when faced with difficult competition and not much support .. has a hard shot that he keeps low but needs to hit the net more often .. doesn't take needless chances when he is in possession with the puck .. uses his stick well defensively .. tangles up his opponent well .. gives a very consistent effort game in and game out .. probably has more offensive potential than he has shown but tries to play more conservatively for the benefit of the team.

Note: recently traded to Chicoutimi.

Jason Houde (2011), LW, Rouyn-Noranda

10th round pick at the 2010 QJMHL draft .. does a very good job on the penalty kill .. feisty along the boards .. has a tendency of making too many low percentage passes .. moves comfortably when in possession of the puck .. good effort on the ice .. energy player who tends to aggravate opponent .. effective at cycling the puck .. choppy puckhandler .. has to work on his shot, especially when he is in close to the net .. most goals come from him going to the net and trying to get to the puck quickly .. has shown solid improvement as the season wears on, getting better at playing within his limits by keeping things simple.

Maxim Kazakov (2011), RW, Rouyn-Noranda

QMJHL rookie was suspended early in the season for four games for a hit to the head .. very fast skater who hits his top speed in only a few strides .. handles the puck well in traffic .. lowers the body slightly when he does have the puck making it hard for opposition to defend against him without drawing a penalty .. has a nasty wristshot that he releases quickly ..doesn't hesitate to take a shot on net when he is near the opposing goaltender and doesn't stop moving his feet going to the net looking for rebounds .. can be a dirty player especially with his stick .. doesn't always make the necessary effort defensively, which hurts his icetime .. undersized forward doesn't bring much of a physical dimension to his game.

Jeffrey Noonan (2011), G, Rouyn-Noranda

Highly touted rookie has had a tough start playing with a rather weak Rouyn-Noranda team .. unorthodox goaltender who tends to go down very quickly and stays down .. excels when facing shots that stay low .. very aggressive goaltender, he comes out rather far to challenge the shooter .. can be effective playing that style, as long as he is controlling his rebounds well .. if not, he leaves huge parts of the net wide open for opponents .. talented puckhandler, he gets the puck to his defensemen quickly helping their transition game .. tends to use his blocker a lot more than his glove when facing with high shots .. has some raw tools but needs to work a lot on his technical ability, as too many goals he lets in are avoidable.

Anthony Verret (2011), C, Rouyn-Noranda

Born in France, he was a 6th round pick for Rouyn at the 2010 QMJHL entry draft .. very quick skater .. fluid skating stride .. useful on the PK where his can exploit his ability to pressure the puckcarrier aggressively .. not very big, he has a lot of trouble winning battles along for the puck .. not too physical but he has dropped the gloves a few times this season .. doesn't have great peripheral vision .. passes are erratic when he is rushed .. handles the puck well enough be won't try to blow by opposing defensemen, instead will try to buy time and get support .. needs to improve his play in the faceoff circle.